more twists and turns. another general and an fbi agent have joined in the scandal that led to the downfall of david petraeus. good afternoon. i'm pat lawson muse. >> we begin with news. a 17-year-old boy now charged with his second murder in less than a week. >> keith russell is at our news4 live desk about a case that has stunned folks in waldorf. >> reporter: guys, a 17-year-old young man is in custody for the murder of teresa bass. they were shot while working their dorg in waldorf last month. the person arrested is joshua memb mebane. he will be charged as an adult. it is not clearhat his motive for shooting the waldorf couple was. police are scheduled to hold a news conference at 4:30. we'll have the update on this breaking news from charles county on news4 at 5:00. pat and jim, back to you. >> all right. to our other big breaking

news story we're following this afternoon. former d.c. council chairman kwame brown learns his fate for a federal bank fraud charge. >> his sentence includes two years probation, half a year of home detention. hundreds of hours of community service and a day in police custody. brown also got his sentence for a misdemeanor campaign finance charge at d.c. superior court today and that's where we find tom sherwood live with the latest on brown's long day of legal proceedings. tom? >> just a short time ago, brown was right here in d.c. superior court. he was shackled in chains on his hands and feet. he appeared before a judge on his misdemeanor conviction. earlier today, he faced a different judge on the felony that forced him from office. >> step back and give him room. >> reporter: last summer, kwame brown in a few chaotic hours resign as d.c. council chairman and pleaded guilty to felony bank fraud charges.

he had forged home loans. he even faxed the phony documents. he was back in federal court tuesday to be formally sentenced but not before he told the judge he had done wrong because of my own poor conduct, i am not a victim. it was stupid. it was wrong. brown's mother and wife left the court without comment. brown was detained to serve one day in custody. his sentence also includes two years supervised release, a form of probation, six months in home detention with electronic monitoring, a 10:00 p.m. curfew and $480 hours of community service. >> he has received a sentence from the court. the court expects that he will abide by the sentence. that means all of his terms. if it means the curfew at 10:00, he needs to be in his house at 10:00, when they turn the bracelet on, it goes ping at his home. >> reporter: prosecutors noted he had accepted responsibility for his crime, given up his

public office and that he was cooperating with prosecutors and their investigations. he's gone from being one of the most powerful city politicians to being a convicted felon. at the courthouse, tom sherwood, news4. >> hey, tom, this town has seen comebacks before. marion berry served time and came back in a big way. is kwame brown's political career over? >> reporter: a lot of people think so. his lawyer says he has no plans to make any kind of political he comeback. he will be under supervised probation for two years with the court so he won't likely be in that special election in april. most people believe that kwame brown is done when it comes to elective office. >> is he done serving that day? does this day down? >> reporter: yes. the judge in the federal case sentenced him to one day in custody of the u.s. marshals. and he spent that day, he'll be in until 5:30.

that's yewhy he was in chains. he is in federal custody until 5:30 today and then begins two years in communicate service to make up for his crime. >> tom sherwood, thank you. the plot thickens. new names are now coming out in that scandal involving former cia director david petraeus. it all began with his having an affair with paula broadwell. investigators say she sent threatening e-mails to jill kelley, a petraeus family friend. now the pentagon is looking into thousands of e-mails between kelley and general john allen. live on capitol hill with more on another twist. how shirtless photos from an fbi agent are now playing into this scandal. steve? >> put that one last, jim. since it is but clearly the least important. general john allen, u.s. commander in afghanistan, is not over there tonight. coincidencely, he is here in washington for hearings that had

been scheduled tomorrow on what allen still hopes will be his next job. he is just in time for his reputation to be called into question. general john allen, u.s. commander in afghanistan, was on track to be nato commander until disclosure that he is under investigation by the pentagon. jill kelley, a socialite in tampa and general allen allegedly exchanged e-mails and documents suspected of being inappropriate. through a spokesman today, allen insisted there was no affair. kelley is the one whose complaints that she was getting harassing e-mails led the fbi to paula broadwell and the affair between broadwell and general david petraeus. unlike petraeus who has admitted inif i had sxelt resigned as director of the cia, allen got a vote of confidence today from president obama. >> he has faith in general allen. he believes he is doing and it's had a done an excellent job. >> reporter: the petraeus scandal has washington stunned. some are angry that the afghan

war costing so many u.s. lives and dollars was hardly mentioned until this. >> now we've become obsessed with the sex life of the cia director and the commander. it is just, a bit of it seems out of balance. >> reporter: some question the fbi's involvement. >> cyber harassment between two women or any two people is certainly involving a love triangle or whatever it was should not rise to this level. >> reporter: others wonder why the federal probe was kept from congress and the white house. >> the fbi which knew about all of this months ago, apparently told nobody about it. >> reporter: parts of the allen/kelley/broadwell case had someone so upset, he sent kelley shirtless photos of himself and was pulled off the case. one more twist in a case that could cost two generals their reputations. i'm steve handelsman, news4. >> all right. stay tuned.

thank you. coming up at 4:30, we'll have more on the women involved in the petraeus scandal. pat? right now, a former student is on trial accused of killing her roommate at bowie state university. alexis simpson is accused of stabbing dominique frazier to death. the two got into an argument over the volume of an ipod. simpson's lawyers say she was acting in self-defense. coming up at 5:00, prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins will have more on that. 20 public schools could soon be closed in the district. d.c. public schools' chancellor kaya henderson announced the plan this morning. the schools will be closed in every ward except wards 1 and 3. most of the schools closings are in wards 5 and 7. the name of the schools are being announced at a news conference right now. chris gordon will have a full report with all the details coming up at 5:00. take a i halive look outsid.

we are about to get our coldest weather in nearly a week. >> dig sweaters and the coats out. that comes after a messy morning commute. the problem wasn't just the rain. veronica johnson has the latest. veronica? >> that's right. we had some wind, too, this morning and even some sleet in a couple of neighborhoods. outside, we do have sunshine with us. as the clear skies came in very quickly behind the weather front this morning. we had pockets of sleet right there. the front was moving out. the last of the cold air rushing in. not only is he surface but especially aloft right there in ellicott city. yesterday, we had sleet. it was not lasting very long. he had to really catch the individual yost pictures very quickly. this was on the top of my pickup truck. you can see it bouncing off the driveway. the morning sleet and now of course, sunshine but cold air. yesterday we had temperatures that were in the low 70s.

today, look at that. 48 to 50 degrees. some neighborhoods only at 45 degrees. so during the overnight period, as you said, it is going to be a cold winter. we'll talk about that. while our weather will be fairly quiet for a while, oh-oh, we've got something interesting coming up for thanksgiving week travel. i'll talk more about that in a couple minutes. members of congress returning to capitol hill right now. one of the most daupting items on their agenda this week is the looming fiscal cliff. leaders of both sides appear to be standing firm as danielle lee reports, without a compromise, the nation could be facing a new recession. >> reporter: lawmakers return to washington welcoming the newly elected members of congress and promising they're ready for progress. >> we're going to work together to reignite the american dream. >> make no mistake. republicans are offering bipartisan solutions. now it is the president's turn. >> reporter: unless congress

reaches a deal which so far has eluded them, the new year will bring about $600 billion in budget cuts and one of the steepest tax increases in 60 years. middle income families will pay about $2,000 more in taxes a year. >> let's work on a package that will be booked just and good for this country. >> reporter: that's where lawmaker disagree. republicans still want to extend tax cuts to everyone. democrats including the president favor raising taxes on the wealthy. >> we will not sign the bill that extends the bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. >> reporter: they also haggle over what to cut, how to change the tax code and where to find savings and entitlement programs. >> our biggest problems are the spending on social security, on medicare. >> congress created this fiscal cliff last year, assuming would it force them to reach a compromise on an alternative deficit reduction plan. with just about seven weeks before the year is up, defense secretary leon panetta admits, he is worried what will happen

if they don't reach a deal. >> if they just kick the can down the road, it will continue to represent a cloud over the defense department. that's the last thing i need right now. >> reporter: a real possibility that has the white house begging congress to find the middle ground. in washington, i'm danielle lee, nbc news. bono made a stop at the white house today. he met with president obama and vice president biden. they discussed everything from aids to fighting poverty to global development. boneo is widely known for his humanitarian efforts, especially in africa. he has been nominated for a nobel peace prize. a battle to lead the country. why groups in 20 different states are asking to secede from the united states. deal or no deal. the four things you should never buy from an outlet. ♪

>> if you like rebecca black's friday, you will like this. the anthem waiting to get stuck in your head. next, your hot talk.

who is a better driver? mom or dad? >> and the viral video just in time for turkey day. those are some of the hot topics today. it has been so long, cane, i forgot how to say your name. you took a sandy break, an election break. >> and the election thing. >> to see both of you. glad you let me in and remembered who i was. >> after this song we may regret it. if we're infected in our minds with it, we remember that song, friday, friday. this is the new attention on

youtube. it has to do with the holiday next thursday. let's take listen and we'll talk about it on the other side. ♪ first there was easter and the fourth of july ♪ ♪ but now it's thanksgiving ♪ thanksgiving ♪ we were going to have a good time ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh thanksgiving >> her name is nicole westbrook. rebecca black was the original with friday. the company that does these is arc music factory. you will see patrice wilson popping in here in a minute. you can hire this company if you have a kid that wants to be like a superstar. and right now, 5,219,000 views and downing on this. and is it infectiously good or bad? ♪ it's thanksgiving she sings into a turkey song

halfway through the song. no, she really does. sing into a -- no, she does. >> dancing to the beat of a turkey. >> so patrice wilson has found a hit on his hands. you can play it for everyone or after you eat turkey next week. entirely after you. it is the most viral video of the week by far. because next week is thanksgiving ♪ >> are you kidding? >> play it for like a week now. >> hey, listen, there's new information out there about the difference between driving, between moms and dads. men have always said women are worse drivers and vice versa. what is your research showing? >> i am completely impartial to this however i am passing along research. keep that in mind. think back when you were growing up and you were riding in the car. who was the better driver? kids ages 5-7 were asked this question. they said dads were better but moms were more fun. dads were more likely to get road rage but mom were more

likely to curse. and drop bad language. they asked the kids, this was my favorite part and you have to see this as part of the story. we'll probably hook this up on washingtondc.com. we asked the kids, ninjas, aliens i think one was space aliens. ask your kids. hey, what does that mean? like the airbag light. oh, that's a ninja. see what they say. >> jingle ball coming up tomorrow. >> yes. ♪ after thanksgiving ♪ justin bieber will be opening and you get to see who you want to meet and greet. it could be julio iglesias. >> you name drop. >> sounds like a date. ♪ >> let's transition to the

weather. >> it is starting to feel like holidays out there. it is getting cool, veronica. >> you expect me to do the weather now? this song is in my head. i have to erase it before i start. thanks a lot! let's take a look back at the rainfall that we did get with this weather system that brought in the cold air. look at that. we had anywhere from .22 of an inch of rain. i should make come over here and do the weather. >>. ♪ thanksgiving. >> culpepper, of course, the rain ended with wind and a little sleet. it was 11:00 p.m. when our temperature went from 64 to 49 degrees by 2:00 a.m. with that front coming through. rain for us and now the rain is in a fairly quiet period coming up for the next couple days. you can see it extending into areas of norfolk and raleigh, north carolina. 50 degrees, our temperature right now. the northwest wind is at 13.

we had gusts up to 35 miles an hour. but you know what? it will be a breezy one throughout the evening and even a little bit of wind for early tomorrow morning with the temperature starting out at 38 to 37 degrees. with a little bit of wind still on for tomorrow morning. i do think that we're windchills that will be in the upper 20s to the low 30s. there we've got high pressure moving in. a breezy chilly evening for us. that high pressure will be with us tomorrow so we'll have sunshine throughout the day tomorrow. maybe a few high clouds around the coast. then as we get into thursday, more of that cool sunshine. and then the clouds down to the south. around areas of southeastern virginia. right along this weather front that's moving off the coast. an area of low pressure will develop and we'll see some cloud cover come back into the area. friday looking like it could be a mostly cloudy day with a one-daybreak on saturday with more sunshine before the next storm forms. that is the storm system that

looks like it could be yet another coastal storm for us, starting at the second half of the weekend. i'll have more on that coming up at 4:45. your forecast, breezy, chilly conditions as temperature continue to fall from 44 to 37 degrees. by tomorrow morning, we're clear and cold. the coat needed. for some, the gloves with 32 to 38 degrees with windchill temperatures in the 20s. by afternoon tomorrow, sunshine returns. we're chilly and still some leftover winds. 45 to 50 degrees. that's it for a high temperature. with those types of temps, that's more of what you would feel in the early part of december. there's a look at your four-day forecast. 55 on friday with more clouds. we'll talk about the weekend. specially second half with that next coastal storm system coming up in a few minutes. >> thanks. still ahead, the woman accused of running over her husband because he didn't vote.

>> the twist that could change the outcome of the voice. i've been taking a multivitamin for years. centrum silver.

both of us actually. our pharmacist recommended it. and that makes me feel pretty good about it. and then i heard about a study looking at multivitamins and the long term health benefits. and what do you know? they used centrum silver in the study. makes me feel even better, that's what i take. sorry, we take. [ male announcer ] centrum. the most recommended. most preferred. most studied. centrum, always your most complete.

♪

another big night on "the voice" putting everything on the line for the competition. tonight it will be the end of the journey for two contest nts at a. >> we'll get to hear a performance by christina aguilera and celo green. now live in hollywood with a recap of last night's performances and what we can expect tonight. >> reporter: indeed the countdown is on to tonight's results show. the artists are on pins and needles as they wait to determine who will stay and who will go. now, as you said tonight, a big show in store, including that performance by christina and celo. they'll be singing a song off her new album. so definitely some exciting things there. also, jason will be giving a performance with a couple of the contestants. as to who will stay and who will go, let's break it down for you. we have more information when we

look at some social media. last night the 12 remaining singers, three from each team. hope to earn america's vote and a chance to come back next week. who is going home? when we look at itunes, we learn that each itunes download counts as a vote. let's take a look at youtube. first, melanie martinez had the most views on youtube but brian keith is ranked higher on itunes. and moving on to team blake, cassidy has the most youtube views of all the contestants with her behind the hazel eyes, her song is number 37 on the itunes top 100 charts. moving on to team celo. the highest contestants on itunes at number 32 and the highest for youtube views on his team, he gave one of the strongest performances of the night with when a man loves a woman. then finally, when we look at team christina, dez has the most

youtube views and appears to be the only one on his team to get to the itunes top 100. what does all this mean? we really don't know. but it gives you a sense who have is really trending out there on twitter, on facebook, on youtube, on itunes, and it could be an indication as to who will stick around. the show gets underway in just a few hours from now and an exciting show planned ahead. >> a twist where not every coach is guaranteed a contestant in the finale. could that impact what we see tonight? >> reporter: well, it could indeed. because tonight the two contestants with the least amount of votes will be going home. so it will leave some of the teams uneven in terms of numbers. if they continue this trend, one of the coaches might be knocked out before we get to the finals. so it will be interesting to see how that all plays out as well. >> we'll be watching. live for us in hollywood, thanks

so much. we want to thank her for getting that thanksgiving tune out of our heads. the women of the petraeus scandal coming up on news4, how they became linked to some of the country's most powerful men. and a change is coming to sesame street after elmo's inventer is

welcome back, everybody. at 4:30, i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. we begin with our big breaking news. a 17-year-old charged with killing a d.c. cab driver is accused of mushding a waldorf women. joshua mebane was arrested for the murder of teresa bass. bass was shot a few days before halloween as she walk on a trail with her husband near her home. he is accused of shooting and killing a d.c. cab driver in northeast last wednesday. coming up on news4 at 5:00, news4's reporter will have a live report on what led to this new report. the former d.c. council chair kwame brown sentenced to two years probation today. six months of home detention and 480 hours of community service for federal bank fraud. brown admitted to lying on documents, loan documents and

stepped down as part of the plea deal. he also got a suspended 30-day jail sentence for a campaign finance charge so he won't have to spend any time hinl bars if he sticks to his probation material. to the growing petraeus scandal. a defense official strongly denies that general john allen had an affair or acted inappropriately with campus socialite jill kelley. they said the number of e-mails between general and kelley have been exaggerated. allen's correspondence with kelley came to light and ultimately ened the career of retired general david petraeus. >> we are more this afternoon about the two women involve in this scandal. >> those who know jill kelley and paula broadwell are speaking out about this. the two are now under a very unwanted microscope. >> this is something that will brand her for life. >> reporter: david kwame is the brother of jill kelley.

he defends his sister dismissing any suggestion that she is anything more than friends with general petraeus my sister number one is a mother. okay? three kids, extremely dedicated to those kids. number two, she is a wife. she is extremely dedicated to her husband. and he to her. so for her to have an affair with general petraeus is completely ludicrous. >> reporter: kelley seen leaving her tampa home monday describes petraeus as a long time family friend. in a joined statement with her husband scott, she asks for privacy. law enforcement sources say someone was sending her harassing e-mails. the fbi later discovered that paula broadwell, petraeus' buy go -- biographer was sending them. frequently funded for the wounded warriors program, they often socialized together. right now kelley's brother said

he is offering his full support. >> the conversation that's i've had with her were basically, i love you and we're here for you for whatever you need. >> reporter: meanwhile, monday night, fbi agents removed items from broadwell's north carolina home. foreign policy expert mike o'hanlon has known petraeus and broadwell for years. >> she is a pretty great person. she is a person with amazing interests in our country's security. >> reporter: broadwell shown here if afghanistan embedded on an intelligence mission in 2010 had unprecedented access to petraeus as she researched her book, later calling petraeus her mentor. >> as a sort of academic mennor of mine, he is proud that i've been able to do this. >> reporter: while some former aides describe her as calculating, o'hanlon said her family life in north carolina with her husband scott and two children tell a different story. >> however big a mistake she's made and it is huge, this is a person who worked hard.

worked hard to raise her kids. worked hard to do a good job with the book. >> reporter: the woman perhaps most deeply impacted by all of this is holly petraeus, the general's wife of more than 30 years. former aides say it would be an understatement to say that she is infuriated. nbc reached out to the petraeus, broadwell and kelley families but has been heard back. the clouds and rain rolled out but cold weather is here to stay for a while. veronica? >> that's right. if you're going out this evening, it will be chilly. yesterday at this time we had temperature in the 60s. now they're in the 40s. mid and upper 40s across the area. take a look. you've got spots laytonsville. annapolis, maryland, 50 degrees your current temperature. as we go through the evening, we drop to 42. by 11:00 p.m., still a little wind and a light wind, too, for

tomorrow morning. we'll be starting out in the upper 20s on 30s. a cold one. we'll have more on our seven-day forecast and a look at that next coastal storm coming up in a few. an arizona woman says she was angry at her husband for not voting on election day. so she ran him over with her jeep. 28-year-old holly sullivan was arrested over the weekend, charged with domestic assault. police say she chased her husband around a lot after a heated argument. he tried to run away but she eventually mowed him down, leaving him with serious injuries. police say she was upentiset ab the president's re-election and lost when it she found out her husband didn't bother to vote. it seems to happen every four years right after the election. groups in texas and 19 other states have started petitions asking to secede from the union. so far the petition in texas has garnered more than 36,000 signatures. the problem is texas really has no authority to leave the u.s. while the constitution does not

have any guidance for secession, a presidential proclamation in 1866 says states cannot leave on their own will. a thief fisk wrong store to rob. still to come, an unusual way the clerk defended himself against a bandit. what is bargain and what's not?

crowds for the concert began forming days ago. thousands of fans slept outside and braved the cold and the rain to get a spot on or near rockefeller plaza. nbc says it is the biggest crowd ever for the "today" show concert. the band members have announced they will start in a 3d movie next year. how much do kids get for their allowance these days? about $15 a week according to the institute of certified public account dlanlts. that adds up to $780 every year. most parents also say that their kids aren't wasting a minute and spend the money as soon as it is in their hands. >> does that factor in inflation? >> i think so. it doesn't sound like it.

coming up, what sesame street will do without the man who created elmo now that he is accused of having an under age relationship. >> what is going on with this weather tonight? >> fairly quiet, certainly cold for tonight. you will need the coat and the gloves. coming up in a couple of minutes, we'll take a sneak peek at thanksgiving week. a lot of folks traveling.

we were talking about what

song we have in our head now. you're thanksgiving week forecast. you've still got a thanksgiving song in there. >> you just put it back there, jim. all right. stop. we're taking a look at a sneak peek at thanksgiving week with our extended forecast which does look as though right now, there is a possible of some wet weather for folks traveling on monday. maybe even tuesday. we start with right now and a look outside. gorgeous sunset, of course. cool sunshine for us at 50 degrees. breezy, too, with that northwest win at 13 miles per hour right now. and it didn't take long at all for the dry air to move in. look at that dew point temperature at 27 degrees right now with humidity at 41%. gorgeous sunset. the rain rolled out of here fairly quick. now we've got the clearing skies. west virginia areas, areas of west virginia, kentucky and charlotte. high pressure moves in. and we're clear and cold for the overnight period. as we drop into the 20s to upper 30s, d.c. down to 37 degrees for the early part of the day. then we'll hit a high of about 47 to 50 degrees.

50, fredericksburg. 48, annapolis. leesburg, 47 degrees. that's it for a high temperature tomorrow. like today, there will be some wind around. only less wind for tomorrow. not quite as sharp of a chill. 45 to 50 degrees for tomorrow. again, breezy sunshine we'll have. the deal for this weekend, on sunday there's the possibility of a coastal storm system forming. sunday, monday, possibly tuesday time period. once again, moving northward up the coast. depending on how close to the coast this storm gets will of course be a big factor. right now i don't think the cold air will be locked one this storm system. so snow up likely but possible tidal rises and beach erosion. it is a wait and see for right now. wanted to let you know it is a possibility. so we're cool. the next couple of days feeling like december. your next chance of precip again, sunday with that coastal storm possibly. monday as well. with our temperatures then dropping off.

and that's not all. there could be yet another system after that. so a busy weather week coming up next week. back to you. an update on our breaking news. we are now seeing the picture of the 17-year-old charged with killing a d.c. cab driver and a waldorf woman. joshua mebane is his name. he was arrested today for the murder of teresa bass who was killed while walking her dog with her husband. mebane is also accused of shooting and killing a d.c. cab driver in northeast last wednesday. we'll have a live report coming up at 5:00. many people have a strategy for holiday shopping and it often includes a trip to the outlets. but is it really discounted? now what's worth buying and what's not. >> we hear the word outlet mall. most of us think discount. that's not always the case. kipli kiplinger's personal finance breaks it down.

>> typically i'm looking for bargains on designer items. >> i love to get high end goods for a really cheap price. >> reporter: is the price you pay at the outlet really a deal? >> you should always do your research. >> reporter: andrea brown says first rule, don't presume you're always getting top quality merchandise. certain brands create inventory just for the outlet stores. >> which means they've never been for sale in the retail store. they might use a cheaper fabric. they might use hardware that isn't the same quality as what you would find in a retail store. >> reporter:s which why children's clothing is a deal. quality is not an issue if they outgrow them. >> little kids' clothes last one season. it is ridiculous to spend a lot for them. >> reporter: a big don't, don't assume all prices are cheaper. kiplinger says that's true for electronics and athletic apparel. >> outlet stores, they pretty much are the same prices as what's in the retail stores. >> reporter: more don'ts.

don't buy suits. they don't offer tailoring. and she said don't buy jewelry. >> you want something that has been certified in terms of the quality of the materials used. >> reporter: what are the deals when it come to outlet shopping? brown says buy shoes. they're often shipped directly from the retailer, the same quality at a better price. another deal, luggage. you go find current season bags, the same quality, sometimes up to 30% off. and deals on house wares such as kitchen items. >> the thing is that there might be small nicks or little pings in the paint which means it can't be sole in the retail store so they send it to the outlet store. >> reporter: so heading into the holiday shopping season, as long as you know what's real, you'll know which items are the best outlet deals. are you going to outlet shop for her here? >> i've already taken care of

that. >> reporter: you're done? >> i'm done. >> reporter: good for him. one more outlet deal. always stop by the mall manager's office and grab what's called a coupon book. there are even more discounts in those books. and one more don't. don't presume just because a store is at the outlet mall, that it is a discount store. some stores just want to be in the outlet but sell their merchandise at the same price as your local shopping mall. >> pretty sneaky! >> they don't say sneaky. they just want to be around you when you want to spend money. not every store at the outlet is actually an outlet store. >> luggage and shoes, the real deals. thank you. coming up, the usual way a store clerk -- the unusual way, we should say, a clerk defends against an armed robber. >> and the collision train that sliced a semi truck in two. coming up at 5:00, we continue to follow the breaking news from charles county where a

teenager has been arrested for the murder of a woman out walking her dog. also tonight, express lanes on the beltway are closer to opening. what you need to know before you drive them. >> reporter: i'm julie carey. the alleged east coast rapist changes his mind about

. a burglar in massachusetts gets more than he bargained for during a robbery sunday night.

an armed man walked into a convenience store and demanded money. the clerk walked behind the downer like he was going to do that. he opened the register but then he punched the suspect. and threw chili powder at him. the would be robber decided to run off. >> a freight train crashed into a tractor-trailer sitting too close to the tracks. the collision cut the semi in half and pushed it into a business near los angeles early this morning. no one was hurt but the accident did shut down a commuter line headed into l.a. that truck was hauling frozen food. up next, a huge hole on sesame street. what will happen to elmo now that the puppeteer who created him is accused of having a relationship with an underage boy.

kevin clash remain on leave from sesame street to deal with allegations of misconduct. people are wondering will he ever return to the show and what that to elmo? ♪ >> though he is best known as the voice of elmo, revered puppeteer kevin clash is speaking out in his own defense against accusations of sexual

misconduct. in a statement monday, sesame street said they were contacted in june by a then 23-year-old man who alleged that he had a relationship beginning when he was 16 years old with kevin clash. in his own statement, 52-year-old clash acknowledged having a relationship with the man but says, it was between two consenting adults and i am deeply saddened that he is trying to characterize it as something other than what it was. >> when you look at the stories here, clash and his accuser are not all that far apart. the only question is, did the relationship begin at age 16 or age 18 or later? >> reporter: sesame street said they found the allegation to be unsubstantiated but also found clash violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined. clash created he will show and has been performing as the lovable muppet for almost 30 years. up 24 emmy awards along the way. >> he should go, too.

>> reporter: for the puppeteer, working on sesame street was a lifelong wish fulfilled. something he talked about in the 2011 documentary, "being elmo." >> when i was 9 years old, it was a dream that i had. wow, i wish that i could work with the muppets. >> reporter: over the years, elmo has made his way from sesame street to main street as the most popular muppet, often appearing on other tv shows. >> elmo loves to dance. >> reporter: and flying off toy store shelves. >> elmo is the franchise. i've had parents tell me that mommy or daddy was not the first word their child that. elmo was the first word their child said. >> reporter: clash is now oin definite leave saying, i am taking a break to deal with this false and defamiliarer to allegation, an absence that will be fell on sesame street. >> there isn't anybody with more sway or influence in the studio than kevin. he directs executive produces.

i can't imagine there being a modern day sesame street without kevin clash. nbc news reached out to the accuser's attorney for comment but he did not respond. as for elmo, sesame street says other puppeteers will step in and the popular muppet will continue to be an integral part of the show. breaking news right now. a 17-year-old is now charged with his second murder in less than a week. good evening, everyone. i'm doreen gentzler in tonight for wendy rieger. tonight, a teenager is accused of murdering a waldorf woman days before shooting a d.c. taxi driver. the woman was just walking her dog when she was shot. shomari stone is live at the county sheriff's office with how investigators made the connection in these two cases. >> reporter: first i want to show you a picture of teresa bass. this is the woman who charles county sheriff's deputies are telling us, who was the victim in this case.

she was walking her dog with her husband on a trail in the hampshire neighborhood in waldorf, maryland. let me put this down. i want to show you a photo of the victim. we're here at the sheriff's headquarters. that news conference wrapped up eight minutes ago. there are chilling details about the waldorf, maryland murder and an alleged connection to the d.c. murder of a cab driver. let's roll some video. here is a sketch of the waldorf maryland murder suspect. he is 17 years old, his name is joshua mebane and he is charged in the shooting of teresa bass. she was walking her dog with her husband that night. neighbors said they told me they heard several shots fired. bass and her husband were shot multiple time. we heard that again here in the news conference. she died. he survived with serious injuries. investigators tell